The FHS Class of 2014 graduation was hastily moved from the football field to the junior high auditorium Friday night. A rain storm blew in around 6:00 p.m. and was still raining at 6:30 p.m. The decision came about one hour before the 8:00 p.m. graduation and was quite a scramble to move people, graduates, diplomas, sound systems, etc. But it all worked out and the students still received their diplomas.

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Prairie Acres/Heritage Estates news: Administrator Billy Ray Johnston says there are three openings at Heritage and about ten openings at Prairie Acres. A family council meeting will be held June 19 at 7:00 p.m. in the boardroom. If you have a family member at Prairie Acres you are invited to attend. They would like your input. Resident of the month for June is Mayme Gee. Employee of the month is Mario Carrasco, a nurse aide who has been employed since August 1999. A new client at Heritage is Linda Brownlow.

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Add Mitch Terry and Dennis Field to the teacher retiree list. Also primary principal Autumn Sloan and teachers Marla DeBons and Deirdre Long have resigned. So have Jackie Martin, Benny Case, Nick Gonzales, and Joann Morris.

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Lezli and Cole St. Clair had a 6th wedding anniversary last week. Joe and Loy McLellan observed their 36th wedding anniversary this week. Congratulations to these folks and all who celebrate anniversaries and birthdays in June. If you are having an anniversary let us know.

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A 5k Color Run is being organized for Friona. It will be held July 5. The run will start out north on Hwy 214 and end at the Reeve Lake park. Proceeds will benefit a local family and the SnackPak4Kids program. Individual runners $45, teams of 4 or more $35 each. Students $25 each, teams of 4 or more $20 each. Participants receive a t-shirt and headband. Winner will receive a bike. For registration contact Karina Trevino at 806-717-8798.

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The Dimmitt city wide garage sale is Saturday June 7. This is one of the better city wide sales in the area. Go early for bargains. Have lunch on the courthouse square. For a couple of years I took my mom and Martha Hamilton to the Dimmitt city wide sale. My job was to let them out at one end of the block and drive to the other end and wait, running back and forth to fetch and load their purchases. Those were some fun times.

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Summer Drama Workshop is July 7 - 19 with shows presented July 18 and July 19. Allison Johnston, Joy Morton, and Deirdre Long are directors. Donations are accepted to help with production expenses. Make donations to Friona Fine Arts Council and mail to Allison Johnston, 801 W. 5th St. Friona, TX 79035.For info about the workshop you can contact Allison at 806-220-1610.

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The date of this Star is June 5, 2014. My first day at the Star was Monday June 5, 1995, nineteen years ago. On that day Bill Ellis drove me over to Bovina to show me around since covering Bovina for the Bovina Blade was part of my job. My first photo was of a blooming century plant. It was during that visit I met Scooter Russell and Dorothy Stowers. The next week I met Marie Venable. Those three ladies helped me out with Bovina news for the next eight years. Dorothy still gives me haircuts. Scooter lives in Spearman now and Marie passed away last year. The Bovina Blade ceased operations at the end of 2003. I’m aiming for one more year to make an even 20 and after that we’ll see. Thanks for your support over the years.

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Don’t forget the Walk for the Cure Saturday June 7 at the football field sponsored by the Parmer County Cancer Coalition. Take your lawn chairs, pop up canopies, blankets and join in the fun and visiting. Ribbons to honor loved ones affected by cancer will be sold for $5.00. T-shirts and hats will be available and lunch is served at the end of the event. The Parmer County Cancer Coalition serves local people with cancer related expenses.

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A bit of good local news: James Garrett, a P.A. at Parmer Medical, resigned and moved away. His replacement is Lynette Jubay Smith, P.A., Dr. Jubay’s daughter. They are moving to the area from Lubbock. Her husband Eddie Smith has been hired as the head varsity girls basketball coach at Farwell. He will also be assistant cross country and track coach. We welcome the family to Friona.

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The Hamilton Steel & Concrete folks are constructing a couple of new buildings here. Campbell Electric has a new building behind the present location on Hwy 60 and Parmer County Implement is adding a 35x 180 addition on the back of their building for more shop space. The Hamilton brothers, Davy and Jeff, also offer spray foam insulation.

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The Friona swimming pool opened Tuesday. Hours are 1:00 - 6:00 p.m. Tuesday thru Sunday. Closed Mondays. Cost is $3.50 adults and $2.50 for children 12 years and under.

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I will be making the drive to Denton/Frisco for the weekend. My grandson Hudson Holmes graduates from Coppell High School Thursday. Coppell’s graduation will be held at the University of North Texas. Hudson will be attending Auburn University in the fall. Be good to see my daughters Candee, Kirsten, and Megan and my oldest son Casey, all of whom live in that area.

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Send along your summer vacation photos or any other summer news of interest. The first couple of summer months are pretty quiet around here so any news you can send our way will be appreciated. See you next week. Until then!